Last week, large chunks of a parking lot used since 2007 by beachgoers on Samoa collapsed. Beach access at the T, situated at the end of Bay St. outside of Fairhaven has now been closed by Humboldt County Public Works. Public Works said the lot washed out during the night of March 28 and was discovered the morning of March 29.
In 2023, three restaurants in total were shut down by Humboldt County public health for health violations. The closures, which were all businesses in Eureka, involve violations considered major by public health, with two surrounding water issues and one for a clogged toilet. Two reopened quickly, but one has since shut down.
Sea level rise threatens a stretch of U.S. Highway 101 along Arcata Bay. This one mile section of shoreline has a layer of damaged salt marsh and an eroding rail corridor, making the area inland vulnerable to flooding events as it decays further. This shoreline, adjacent to where a stand of eucalyptus trees were recently removed, will see construction that Humboldt County Public Works hopes will help protect the nearby area from sea level rise, at least for the near future.
Stakeholders predict a contentious and costly scramble to secure continued diversions into the Russian River, Lake Mendocino and Sonoma and northern Marin counties.